To my guy E, I'm humbled beyond words. What you created allowed me to speak my truth about an incredible time in my life on this amazing journey! I've been blessed and I dont take anything for granted at this moment in my life...I have an incredible family and a small group of true friends, of which, you are now a member of both E...Thank you, Leroy Smith🙏🏾. Ps MJ will always be the GOAT!
Thank you everyone, thank you Joe, P! Folks who were here early, thank you Bryan, Johnny, Ill, zach thank you for the chat. And of course, Leroy, thank you for your time & grace (and incredible voice)
Absolutely!!! Something that stuck me. When he said he didn't want to live in that moment and it's what you did in the 40 years after, yet Jordan's legacy lives in that moment. The exact opposite.
Finally, we have an answer! You two are so intuitive, and in sync. I hope you'll become friends. The goodness radiates out of both of you. This here, is what the Internet should be. Another masterpiece... Good job Emio!
@@THENBASTORYTELLER I don't comment on UA-cam videos and have only a few subs. Your work is fantastic (I'd have some minor criticisms of course!) and I'm not even that much of an NBA fan (though you're helping me get there and provide more insight and worthwhile emotions/thoughts than the mostly vapid and one note coverage in the mainstream. Honestly congrats and well done!
You being a dad... having a day job (I think)... cranking out these world class videos... and now the best sports investigative reporter in the game... FOR FREE?!? what did we do to to deserve you lol? Can't wait till you're paid what you're worth: video... art... wise... you get it. Much love, appreciation, and admiration
I know ppl always tell UA-camrs they should be bigger an how underrated they are. However in this case I am bewildered and irritated that he isn't much bigger within the NBA UA-camr scene. Most of them do some form of analysis and summarize eras. Often copying each other's formats. I enjoy some of them, but This guy tells unique stories in a unique way. I can't Imagine anyone else touching these topics while using his approach.
I know ppl always tell UA-camrs they should be bigger an how underrated they are. However in this case I am bewildered and irritated that he isn't much bigger within the NBA UA-camr scene. Most of them do some form of analysis and summarize eras. Often copying each other's formats. I enjoy some of them, but This guy tells unique stories in a unique way. I can't Imagine anyone else touching these topics while using his approach.
MJ and Leroy really one of the most fascinating stories. Its been awesome seeing you develop this for nearly 5 years (or more) and the conclusion coming out this great. MJs strange hyper fixation on Leroy but also level of fondness, you really depicted alot of human experiences with this. Im happy the world finally got Leroys story because it is one of true character and strangely enough he is kind of the "Master Motivator" that Jordan depicted him as. Its weird , sorta creepy, sorta heartfelt, its actually alot of things. Thanks for following this thread until this point Storyteller, always a gift to see your vids
It is remarkable that at the pinnacle of MJ's victory lap, the 2009 hall of fame induction, and the preceding several months, he would spend the time, money and emotional energy for crafting a well managed marketing campaign that celebrated and benefited his high school friend. That say a lot about MJ and Leroy Smith. Great job Emio and team "The NBA Storyteller". (come on Disney people and the others, we need more from Emio Tomeoni)
Mike, like most of us are clumsy with out feelings at times. Personally i saw him giving flowers to those alongbhis path to greatness...yeah it was awkward at times perhaps but heartfelt and true to himself 100% of the time🤙
man, your channel is the only one I have turned on my notifications for. So glad you made a new video... Been a while. Now I know why it takes you so long, this one was great!!! Thank you!!!
This completes the circle. It was dope! Ironically, Leroy's integrity and loyalty to his family reminded me of you. 🤔 Why does a channel with 50K subscribers not have a sponsor, and only drops content once every 3 years like he's Kendrick Lamar? 😂 Because TNS's family and integrity to his content is bigger than a check. In that respect, I wouldn't be surprised if you guys became friends after this. You're both men of character, and that should be highlighted.
my friend and I were talking about your miniseries on this and thought that we were never going to see the next part, especially considering how long it had been. We had even theorized the government silenced you. thank you
let me be honest - I was not planning on doing this - when he reached out to me this whole thing just materialized right in front of my eyes. 1 second there was nothing and then all of a sudden this was what I was doing.. very exciting
.. how do i say this....so, i do think there's some sort of cap on my channel - this entire time nothing has ever broken past the 250k mark, its weird)
@@THENBASTORYTELLER hmmmm seems fishy. I had posted about the Leeroy smith is fake NBA is Disney conspiracy on instagram and they took down my story saying I can’t mention brands without permission but I think it was more related to what I was saying. Thanks for taking the risks to tell the truth. Stay safe dude!!
@@THENBASTORYTELLER I do wonder why you've failed to break through more. I'm biased but you're honestly my favourite youtube channel and make the most interesting/well produced/funny videos (on light-hearted topics anyway). Still appreciate you making videos when you can.
awesome stuff, as usual. insightful, original, surprising, and profoundly human. loved the sequence of muted youtube clips of players talking about MJ, and how you latched on to the sound of MJ laughing off screen while Big Roy shakes his head, and you brought it all together. and great job on shinning a light on Leroy, he comes across like a genuinely great guy. looking forward to your next one!
The silent b&w clips of players stuck in mjs world, that was my favorite lil edit - I would watch that part just for fun now and then when i was editing. but also, them not having a voice was defiantly part of it. The rest of the video, anybody you see talking on camera, you can hear them even a little bit. especially mike, which maybe you noticed, MJ is a bit louder then everyone, sometimes his clips even interrupt a bit.(its not actually that noticeable in this edit, i had it pretty severe in previous edits) so when i finally heard that chuckle, and plopped it into my own working context which was to just take him at his word, that he's not hiding anything, listen to him, That's when I knew i had to tack on another 6 minutes to the end of what I thought was done.. so yeah, what were we talking about? - Also, the funny part, and a nod to how myths are made, we still don't know what he was really saying either, when he was shaking his head.
listen man..lol, its all you. you have been great, legitimately helpful, responsive, open, honest, THE easiest person to collaborate with, ever. And this is incase anybody else reads this, Leroys never questioned anything in the doc, never suggested a change or an angle, didn't pressure me in any way to tell any particular story , he literally just let me do my thing., and motivated me all along the way ( i am not joking)
DUDE YESSSSS!!!! I may have said this on other videos but I was there at MJ's Hall of Fame ceremony; I lived down the street and walked over there in a full suit like a herb lol. Ticket was like 250 or something stupid but I was determined because it was the culmination of my childhood basically. My one big regret about this night was that I saw Stu Scott across the room and wanted so bad to say hi to him, but I didn't want to go around bothering celebs so I left him alone. Now I wish I said hi and thanks when I had the chance :(
When you're done, like comment and please Share (even on FB) I really can't thank you folks enough, this has been quite the journey ALSO, sub to Leroys new Podcast, Link in description
@@whenisdinner2137 Yea but what happens when the competition is over? Like Leroy has made me feel bad for Jordan cuz Leroy has such a good home life. I don’t think Jordan has the peace this man has and I’m sad for him for that. For the first time in my life, I can really see what Jordan gave up to be the GOAT and I’ve never said (or even thought) this but I feel like maybe it isn’t worth it. I no longer wanna be like mike because of the brightness of Leroy Smith.
I remember your very first video and subscribing right away. Believe you were around 200 subs at the time, and thought, "there's no way you don't reach a million subs in the next few years!" That was just because of your surprisingly unique views of the game of basketball and how truly amazing your editing skills were(and of course still are). It saddened me that your videos became few and far between over the past couple years, but of course it'll take a lot more than that to unsubscribe to you! You're still the best basketball channel, and even one of the best channels on UA-cam at editing! Love from KCK! P.S. I too am a one time YMCA dunker that made me laugh pretty hard when you said it😂😂😂 ✌🏻
David Robinson maintains to this day that he believes Michael Jordan made a deal with the devil because of his incomprehensible accounts of energy in spite of himself and his habits.
@@THENBASTORYTELLER excellent as always! your videos are so unique and incisive, both in concept and presentation, you should have a whole studio working for you.
plus 6 points for you.! seriously, You know how happy I was/am getting this out, to folks like you who have been on this journey with me. Its fun but also quite the exhale
something that’s lost in this is that jordan also created a character of himself in his mind, the character of leroy is one that usurps jordan unjustly and steals approval and notoriety and rank, but jordan sees himself as the martyr who is constantly misjudged and forced to prove himself correct. the speech’s content completely reflects this character of jordan, he thinks to himself “what do i owe to others?” and the only thing he can imagine to thank them for is motivating him with their denial of his greatness. the biggest takeaway for me is that jordan refuses to move on from these characters in his head, he is completely consumed and even haunted by these perceived wrongings. meanwhile, harvest views his life as a continual flow and finds it inappropriate for himself to hold on to his past with such a tight grip. i don’t think these two guys could have more opposite approaches and they both ended up doing very well for themselves.
Why did he even attribute Leroy Smith to be the reason Jordan didnt make the team? Leroy Smith was a foot taller, theres no way Jordan lost to HIM in a position battle.
its wild, but i actually believe MJ - even though he didn't technically beat mike, MJ just crafted targets in his mind, and Leroy became the face and words, the shorthand for all the emotions he felt from not making the team, and eventually redirected into determination
It was mostly artifice for his meta yea - but in a grounded sense they were both sophomores and friends and I think regardless of positioning the coach only allowed 1 sophomore on the varsity team(source: a Jordan coffee table art book and intuition)
Every video of yours I have seen has been a masterpiece of writing and editing. You should be doing your own major motion pictures as an Orson Welles style auteur, dawg
I have 3 ideas. 3 big ideas and a 15 ft sculpture. Seriously, give me a budget and i'll make the best HBO Max show that gets canceled after one season. like one of those shows that wins an Emmy and then is just gone. I can do that
Why won't some prominent NBA podcaster bring LeRoy Smith in and let him speak his piece? Or was he forced to sign some gag order to not talk about the Michael Jordan varsity story?
Ok I finally got to watch this today. I thought maybe this was going to be the previous series, but just all strung together in one video. WOW this was awesome. Thanks for all your hard work on this; it's gonna sound dramatic but I feel like a giant, years-long chord progression has finally been resolved, like this truly is a canon event that belongs in the entire story. My wife came home right as it was ending, and I'm like "my name is in the credits for this documentary!!" I'm so proud lol -- I basically told her the whole story and now she wants to watch it with me, so I'll happily watch this all over again. Also I can't BELIEVE how elaborate they went with those Charlie Murphy sketches, like what were they ON lol -- the writing is so strange 🤣 and the Ryan Leslie song 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'm getting old - maybe you saw my grays - so reading stuff like this is starting to move from the sharp , energizing happy part of my brain , to the round warm , stuff that makes me tear up, part of my brain. Thank you, thank HER, thank you for your time, the attention - your TIME, ok, ok, quick word on the Charlie Murphy stuff... It's the strangest thing I've ever seen - like, I think i get it, I think i was able to resolve it for myself, but i'm still struggling to put it ALL together. I mean, i really want to know who is responsible - creatively, was this a group thing, or did mike hand over a bunch of crumpled napkins to his team and half of them just said Leroy. i know its somewhere in between but man, there really is a lot going on. and RYAN LESIE? MJs taste in music, gosh, if I interviewed MJ the least i would do is get a a slow jams play list out of him. That should really be on Spotify, MJs Pre-Game Slow Jams
@@THENBASTORYTELLER Happy to be a fan, (fellow graying-beard here so I appreciate the sentiment)! yeah that ad campaign is so unhinged. It comes across as if a Chappelle script was directed/produced by the people behind Meow Wolf or Don't Hug Me I'm Scared -- just SUPER bizarre. And also I just can't put my finger on who it's for, exactly. It had to be our demographic, because of all the references to old stuff that you pointed out, but it's so obscure -- I think they must think that kids our age were really fascinated with the Leroy story, at a much higher level than what we actually were. At best it was an interesting thing to know about, but I might've even fast-forwarded through that part of the Come Fly With Me tape a few times, and they think it really was this huge teaching moment for all us kids watching that tape, and we somehow applied it to every aspect of our lives from that point on. If that HAD been the case, then I can kind of imagine a universe where we all HAD to get a pair of those shoes, and the whole ad hits us differently?
WHO WAS IT FOR??? EXACTLY!!! Who is it for... it's scattered it's unfocused AND it has like at least 4 levels of reality it descends into .. its worse than Inception. It feels like it might be mean-spirited, or at the least mildly insulting, but a bunch of purple analog kindness. There's barely any jokes, and the catchphrases make ZERO sense and aren't connected to anything And then Leroy is even IN ONE, which is what signifies we've reached the bottom layer of the Inception
@@THENBASTORYTELLER 😂 the inception levels, good way to describe it. I wanna know who wrote this craziness, they need to answer some questions. Do you think it was Charlie Murphy and his team? Maybe even Eddie ghost-writing in there? Now that I said that, if you compare the weirdness of this campaign to some of the weirdness HE has done (the Michael Jackson collabs, the reggae thing, movies like Bowfinger and Norbit lol), he falls into the bottom layers quite often. This feels like a quiet Murphy Brothers production the more I think about it
@@THENBASTORYTELLER that's the thing... who is it for? well, it's not really for any of us, which is why it feels slightly off, slightly hollow... and we were right to doubt the entire thing from the jump.... super relieved of course to see in this amazing video more of the true nature of the relationships and narratives in question, but i'm brought back to the overarching point of this whole invention... which is, of course, that this Leroy Smith grudge was an invention, by michael, FOR MICHAEL. and then the corporate "they" attempted to expand the invention, by way of a commodified and sellable annexation of products, and it just felt like it wasn't grounded in anything that meant anything to us. so yeah, interesting brand of humor etc, and i would also love to get to the bottom of who was behind the ancillary campaigns and media projects that we ended up seeing... man, what a trip...
Couple thoughts 1. This is incredible. Thank you and Harvest for the monumental effort here. 2. I'd rather have MJ's borderline psychopathic bullying over Karl Malone's gaslighting as a good guy at the HOF. 3. This entire MJ x Laney x Leroy x Fred Lynch saga now needs to be a Broadway Musical 😭😭😭😭
My favorite UA-cam creator hands down. I really wish we could collab on my theory of LeBron and Warner Brothers buying the laker championship in the bubble so they could finally release space jam 2. Ik its fair fetched but ill die on that hill
@THENBASTORYTELLER that's the sad part I have nothing concrete just speculation. The movie was supposedly ready for a full year before release. Even though it's incredibly invasion if anyone could access if LeBron made a big cash withdrawal before leaving for the bubble. If the commissioner or referees left with an extra carryon bag it's just a crazy conspiracy theory I thought of. Was LeBron Davis and Co more capable than MJ Jr (Jimmy butler) and Co. Yes. If anything I said Is proven fact does that discount his last ring. Yes. His legacy ugh dude had done a lot credit were credit is due. Just kinda crazy the lake show hasn't been anywhere near the finals since 🤷♂️
Im only 5 minutes in, but i want to say, im glad your back, making😅 movies. Best ball channel imo, and its been too long. I have watched everything you have put out and i assume this will be another banger, more fleshed out story of the Leroy mystery/conspiracy/ truth.Peace
My dad is in the inner circle of a veteran academy award winning global acting superstar. From the outside looking in, Mike would be living a similar existence of complete detachment from the reality the rest of us live in. Keeping Leroy alive for Mike would be about keeping Mike's feet on the ground, remembering a time when he was just another young dude growing up with utterly naive aspirations and world view. And what he made of himself from that start, sure, but mainly to keep his feet on the ground. Bringing Harvest to the induction night was a direct acknowledgement to Harvest and Mike's way of saying thank you for allowing him to use Leroy not simply as a myth but as a real, tangible, true link to Jordan when he was Mikey. Gotta remember that Mike has been a hugely public figure from a young age, so that link to the past is critical for him. Who knows what MJ lost over the years....and what he really, deep-down meant when he said he wished for his own children to have a totally different upbringing. Aspects of that public life are crippling. Incredible story E, thank you so much for putting this out there and for showing us the incredible human that Harvest Smith has become.
Years in the making!!!
right! - so glad you good folks experienced this process with me
To my guy E, I'm humbled beyond words. What you created allowed me to speak my truth about an incredible time in my life on this amazing journey! I've been blessed and I dont take anything for granted at this moment in my life...I have an incredible family and a small group of true friends, of which, you are now a member of both E...Thank you, Leroy Smith🙏🏾. Ps MJ will always be the GOAT!
This was a great watch and an awesome story.
So well done so deep such a blessing BROTHERS
Such a great story.
Love and respect your outlook bro! God bless
You're the coolest cat
the greatest basketball channel to ever exist
fr fr
Yessir
fr how do we make him famous
@@sercantor1 like and share
*Over Jonny Arnett… yikes?!*
*I know absence makes the heart grow fonder but, damn.*
Leroy comes out as a great guy in this video, honestly. It's so lovely
This is so great cause, I did not start any of this assuming that - but when it became apparent, the whole process was very clear
Thank you everyone, thank you Joe, P! Folks who were here early, thank you Bryan, Johnny, Ill, zach thank you for the chat. And of course, Leroy, thank you for your time & grace (and incredible voice)
Leroy has entered the GOAT debate. So happy you made this video
literally the GOAT motivator
Absolutely!!!
Something that stuck me. When he said he didn't want to live in that moment and it's what you did in the 40 years after, yet Jordan's legacy lives in that moment.
The exact opposite.
Never in my life have I set a notification for a UA-cam video, but I am ALL OVER this shit. You, sir, have been missed!
how was it?
yeah, but right now is the perfect time to watch this video
Finally, we have an answer! You two are so intuitive, and in sync. I hope you'll become friends. The goodness radiates out of both of you. This here, is what the Internet should be. Another masterpiece... Good job Emio!
This is real man, honestly emotional. Thank you
@@THENBASTORYTELLER I don't comment on UA-cam videos and have only a few subs. Your work is fantastic (I'd have some minor criticisms of course!) and I'm not even that much of an NBA fan (though you're helping me get there and provide more insight and worthwhile emotions/thoughts than the mostly vapid and one note coverage in the mainstream. Honestly congrats and well done!
The NBA Storyteller clearly knows basketball.
Leroy handled the situation with so much grace and kept his sense of self, this was awesome.
You being a dad... having a day job (I think)... cranking out these world class videos... and now the best sports investigative reporter in the game... FOR FREE?!? what did we do to to deserve you lol? Can't wait till you're paid what you're worth: video... art... wise... you get it. Much love, appreciation, and admiration
I know ppl always tell UA-camrs they should be bigger an how underrated they are. However in this case I am bewildered and irritated that he isn't much bigger within the NBA UA-camr scene. Most of them do some form of analysis and summarize eras. Often copying each other's formats. I enjoy some of them, but This guy tells unique stories in a unique way. I can't Imagine anyone else touching these topics while using his approach.
I know ppl always tell UA-camrs they should be bigger an how underrated they are. However in this case I am bewildered and irritated that he isn't much bigger within the NBA UA-camr scene. Most of them do some form of analysis and summarize eras. Often copying each other's formats. I enjoy some of them, but This guy tells unique stories in a unique way. I can't Imagine anyone else touching these topics while using his approach.
MJ and Leroy really one of the most fascinating stories. Its been awesome seeing you develop this for nearly 5 years (or more) and the conclusion coming out this great. MJs strange hyper fixation on Leroy but also level of fondness, you really depicted alot of human experiences with this. Im happy the world finally got Leroys story because it is one of true character and strangely enough he is kind of the "Master Motivator" that Jordan depicted him as. Its weird , sorta creepy, sorta heartfelt, its actually alot of things. Thanks for following this thread until this point Storyteller, always a gift to see your vids
Mom wake up! New NBAstoryteller just dropped❗
side (but related) note, this is legitimately wholesome content, i really think this is a great video to watch with mom.
This channel should have more subscribers than 99% of nba youtube.
I saw this new video drop and immediately called out from work
Now thats real support - I'll have Leroy talk to your boss
The edit & music at the hall of fame speech at 3:20 onwards, was amazing. Never realized how unhinged and chaotic that speech was
nothing makes me happier then a music comment (not even joking here, i spend so much time trying to find the right sound for the right moments)
He’s back!!! This man is a legend in the game
Welcome back. It's always a jolt of joy when you upload.
he has returned from the mountaintop to speak truth to power
Best story ever, thanks for making this video bro!
It is remarkable that at the pinnacle of MJ's victory lap, the 2009 hall of fame induction, and the preceding several months, he would spend the time, money and emotional energy for crafting a well managed marketing campaign that celebrated and benefited his high school friend. That say a lot about MJ and Leroy Smith. Great job Emio and team "The NBA Storyteller". (come on Disney people and the others, we need more from Emio Tomeoni)
Mike, like most of us are clumsy with out feelings at times. Personally i saw him giving flowers to those alongbhis path to greatness...yeah it was awkward at times perhaps but heartfelt and true to himself 100% of the time🤙
man, your channel is the only one I have turned on my notifications for. So glad you made a new video... Been a while. Now I know why it takes you so long, this one was great!!! Thank you!!!
Excited for this video release!
WHEN PRAISES GO UP…. BLESSINGS COME DOWN, the man, the myth, my son THE STORYTELLER❤️💯
HEY MOM!
Hey Mom, your son and I are now brothers! What's for dinner Mom LOL Thank you for having such an amazing son...real talk. Leroy,🙏🏾
Beautiful beyond words. Thanks, my man.
The fact yu got this interview is amazing the hard work and dedication is undeniable
I'm glad you see it, I tried to do it justice
So awesome! Another banger of a doc! You did it again!
Mike may be the GOAT basketball player
But you're the GOAT basketball youtuber
This completes the circle. It was dope!
Ironically, Leroy's integrity and loyalty to his family reminded me of you. 🤔 Why does a channel with 50K subscribers not have a sponsor, and only drops content once every 3 years like he's Kendrick Lamar? 😂 Because TNS's family and integrity to his content is bigger than a check. In that respect, I wouldn't be surprised if you guys became friends after this. You're both men of character, and that should be highlighted.
my friend and I were talking about your miniseries on this and thought that we were never going to see the next part, especially considering how long it had been. We had even theorized the government silenced you. thank you
let me be honest - I was not planning on doing this - when he reached out to me this whole thing just materialized right in front of my eyes. 1 second there was nothing and then all of a sudden this was what I was doing.. very exciting
.. how do i say this....so, i do think there's some sort of cap on my channel - this entire time nothing has ever broken past the 250k mark, its weird)
@@THENBASTORYTELLER hmmmm seems fishy. I had posted about the Leeroy smith is fake NBA is Disney conspiracy on instagram and they took down my story saying I can’t mention brands without permission but I think it was more related to what I was saying. Thanks for taking the risks to tell the truth. Stay safe dude!!
@@THENBASTORYTELLER I do wonder why you've failed to break through more. I'm biased but you're honestly my favourite youtube channel and make the most interesting/well produced/funny videos (on light-hearted topics anyway). Still appreciate you making videos when you can.
awesome stuff, as usual. insightful, original, surprising, and profoundly human.
loved the sequence of muted youtube clips of players talking about MJ, and how you latched on to the sound of MJ laughing off screen while Big Roy shakes his head, and you brought it all together. and great job on shinning a light on Leroy, he comes across like a genuinely great guy. looking forward to your next one!
The silent b&w clips of players stuck in mjs world, that was my favorite lil edit - I would watch that part just for fun now and then when i was editing. but also, them not having a voice was defiantly part of it. The rest of the video, anybody you see talking on camera, you can hear them even a little bit. especially mike, which maybe you noticed, MJ is a bit louder then everyone, sometimes his clips even interrupt a bit.(its not actually that noticeable in this edit, i had it pretty severe in previous edits) so when i finally heard that chuckle, and plopped it into my own working context which was to just take him at his word, that he's not hiding anything, listen to him, That's when I knew i had to tack on another 6 minutes to the end of what I thought was done.. so yeah, what were we talking about?
- Also, the funny part, and a nod to how myths are made, we still don't know what he was really saying either, when he was shaking his head.
I’m so grateful for the videos you have made over the years man. Thank you !
Really appreciate this, and thank you for all that time
Ok I've watched it and this is INCREDIBLE
all your vids are great. But this was amazing.
Leroy just became a motivational person to me.
You are the man my brother! Tremendous Job! Humbled and Grateful!
listen man..lol, its all you. you have been great, legitimately helpful, responsive, open, honest, THE easiest person to collaborate with, ever. And this is incase anybody else reads this, Leroys never questioned anything in the doc, never suggested a change or an angle, didn't pressure me in any way to tell any particular story , he literally just let me do my thing., and motivated me all along the way ( i am not joking)
Can't believe I just came across this channel...how does it not have 1 mil subscribers!? 💪💯
need more nice folks like you!
seriously, thank you so much for stoping by and spending some time here
@@THENBASTORYTELLER 💯💪
I wish u could see the standing ovation I’m giving u! 👏🏾
DUDE YESSSSS!!!! I may have said this on other videos but I was there at MJ's Hall of Fame ceremony; I lived down the street and walked over there in a full suit like a herb lol. Ticket was like 250 or something stupid but I was determined because it was the culmination of my childhood basically. My one big regret about this night was that I saw Stu Scott across the room and wanted so bad to say hi to him, but I didn't want to go around bothering celebs so I left him alone. Now I wish I said hi and thanks when I had the chance :(
we should talk
@@THENBASTORYTELLER yessir, it's been a while!
We need an NBA storyteller tv show or movie. These are the best vids on UA-cam
I know exactly what I'd do with it too
The GOAT is back
Return of a legend
This is fantastic, elite level work. Thank you.
He’s back!
Goated as always. Leroy looks fucking great man, dude is pushing 60 and looks damn near 40
This is so good! Edge of my seat the entire time!
The GOAT NBA youtuber. We have missed you
I've legitimately missed you folks
The return of your favourite nba youtuber's favourite nba youtuber!
I gotta use that line again!
but also for a long timer like yourself, MAAAN this was weird to do, but weird in the greatest of ways.
Haven’t even watched was so excited when I saw you posted. Welcome back GOAT
how'd you like it?
The goat of basketball UA-cam
The GOAT is back lets goooooooo!
When you're done, like comment and please Share (even on FB) I really can't thank you folks enough, this has been quite the journey
ALSO, sub to Leroys new Podcast, Link in description
After decades of waiting, we finally hear the motivational side of the story of Michael Jordan’s success.
A black man with the last name of “Lynch”. Some things that make you say Hmmmm.
I've shared on some more obscure forum's I use, hope it helps as this is premium #content.
Yo Nephew, "Denz" here! Love your work! Love You more! GOD BLESS 🙏🏽 I'm a fan ⭐
Aman! thank you Aunti!!!
glad i was here for this
wake up basketball WORLD the GOAT just uploaded
OMG! You finally found him! And you really did his story justice. Great video!
This guy is like Anti MJ. He matured beyond basketball, he’s a very forgiving and genuinely caring man, and handled his executive roles really well.
Jordan is a competitive psychopath. He lives to compete, lol
@@whenisdinner2137
Yea but what happens when the competition is over? Like Leroy has made me feel bad for Jordan cuz Leroy has such a good home life. I don’t think Jordan has the peace this man has and I’m sad for him for that.
For the first time in my life, I can really see what Jordan gave up to be the GOAT and I’ve never said (or even thought) this but I feel like maybe it isn’t worth it. I no longer wanna be like mike because of the brightness of Leroy Smith.
@vinsanity3510 jordan has moved on to golf, business and owning a nascar team. Being competitive isn't a bad thing if you can focus it.
@@whenisdinner2137
But does he seem happy to you?
@@vinsanity3510 who cares about happiness?happiness is being the trophy holder
He's back!!!! I know this will get watched more than once for sure
Greatness, as always.
Wait, the goat is back?
The goat is back! I love your videos man. Glad to have a new one
Your content is amazing. Thanks for the great storytelling!
Thank you for watching
What a great story, thank you Emio
Share, share this far and wide -
Shared it with as many bbal fans I know.
I remember your very first video and subscribing right away. Believe you were around 200 subs at the time, and thought, "there's no way you don't reach a million subs in the next few years!" That was just because of your surprisingly unique views of the game of basketball and how truly amazing your editing skills were(and of course still are). It saddened me that your videos became few and far between over the past couple years, but of course it'll take a lot more than that to unsubscribe to you! You're still the best basketball channel, and even one of the best channels on UA-cam at editing! Love from KCK!
P.S. I too am a one time YMCA dunker that made me laugh pretty hard when you said it😂😂😂 ✌🏻
Best story teller ever!! 🔥
honestly I feel like I'm just figuring it out
David Robinson maintains to this day that he believes Michael Jordan made a deal with the devil because of his incomprehensible accounts of energy in spite of himself and his habits.
I don't necessarily agree, but i don't not agree...
Man went to the crossroads like Robert Johnson
*UA-cam notification drops*
Me: Oh hells yes... 🍿
how was it?
@@THENBASTORYTELLER excellent as always! your videos are so unique and incisive, both in concept and presentation, you should have a whole studio working for you.
still here
Welcome back!!! Can't wait to see more episodes
The return of my favourite orator🤙
The King has uploaded 👑
This is so legendary
Always worth the wait 🔥
Jordan went full blown Petty Legend, I’ll never forget this speech 😅😅😅
you did yo thang on this one.
Bro you make me so happy when you upload... much love E!!! Thank you soooooo much for the shoutout Emio... always... BJ Taylor
plus 6 points for you.! seriously, You know how happy I was/am getting this out, to folks like you who have been on this journey with me. Its fun but also quite the exhale
@@THENBASTORYTELLER i'm joyfully weeping with you guys
something that’s lost in this is that jordan also created a character of himself in his mind, the character of leroy is one that usurps jordan unjustly and steals approval and notoriety and rank, but jordan sees himself as the martyr who is constantly misjudged and forced to prove himself correct. the speech’s content completely reflects this character of jordan, he thinks to himself “what do i owe to others?” and the only thing he can imagine to thank them for is motivating him with their denial of his greatness.
the biggest takeaway for me is that jordan refuses to move on from these characters in his head, he is completely consumed and even haunted by these perceived wrongings. meanwhile, harvest views his life as a continual flow and finds it inappropriate for himself to hold on to his past with such a tight grip. i don’t think these two guys could have more opposite approaches and they both ended up doing very well for themselves.
Can’t wait!
Why did he even attribute Leroy Smith to be the reason Jordan didnt make the team? Leroy Smith was a foot taller, theres no way Jordan lost to HIM in a position battle.
its wild, but i actually believe MJ - even though he didn't technically beat mike, MJ just crafted targets in his mind, and Leroy became the face and words, the shorthand for all the emotions he felt from not making the team, and eventually redirected into determination
It was mostly artifice for his meta yea - but in a grounded sense they were both sophomores and friends and I think regardless of positioning the coach only allowed 1 sophomore on the varsity team(source: a Jordan coffee table art book and intuition)
Holy shit I haven’t heard from this channel in years.
This is your best work and that is saying a lot👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
Thank you, for saying that, i feel the same way
Every video of yours I have seen has been a masterpiece of writing and editing. You should be doing your own major motion pictures as an Orson Welles style auteur, dawg
I have 3 ideas. 3 big ideas and a 15 ft sculpture. Seriously, give me a budget and i'll make the best HBO Max show that gets canceled after one season. like one of those shows that wins an Emmy and then is just gone. I can do that
What a wild ride
right! This whole process was wild for me, so I'm very happy it comes through for the viewers
Love this guys content
Why won't some prominent NBA podcaster bring LeRoy Smith in and let him speak his piece? Or was he forced to sign some gag order to not talk about the Michael Jordan varsity story?
What do you think is the best podcast for Leroy to be on?
@@THENBASTORYTELLERthe Draymond Green show. Or more seriously JJ Reddick.
@@THENBASTORYTELLER JJ Redick. He's a good interviewer imo.
@@elburto5387 Yep. JJ Redick.
He's back!!!! Man the memories of watching you when I was in the military! Thank you for your efforts and quality of videos!
glad to see you back too!
Emio, excellent work man!
Thank you my man
Ok I finally got to watch this today. I thought maybe this was going to be the previous series, but just all strung together in one video. WOW this was awesome. Thanks for all your hard work on this; it's gonna sound dramatic but I feel like a giant, years-long chord progression has finally been resolved, like this truly is a canon event that belongs in the entire story. My wife came home right as it was ending, and I'm like "my name is in the credits for this documentary!!" I'm so proud lol -- I basically told her the whole story and now she wants to watch it with me, so I'll happily watch this all over again.
Also I can't BELIEVE how elaborate they went with those Charlie Murphy sketches, like what were they ON lol -- the writing is so strange 🤣 and the Ryan Leslie song 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'm getting old - maybe you saw my grays - so reading stuff like this is starting to move from the sharp , energizing happy part of my brain , to the round warm , stuff that makes me tear up, part of my brain. Thank you, thank HER, thank you for your time, the attention - your TIME, ok, ok, quick word on the Charlie Murphy stuff...
It's the strangest thing I've ever seen - like, I think i get it, I think i was able to resolve it for myself, but i'm still struggling to put it ALL together. I mean, i really want to know who is responsible - creatively, was this a group thing, or did mike hand over a bunch of crumpled napkins to his team and half of them just said Leroy. i know its somewhere in between but man, there really is a lot going on. and RYAN LESIE? MJs taste in music, gosh, if I interviewed MJ the least i would do is get a a slow jams play list out of him. That should really be on Spotify, MJs Pre-Game Slow Jams
@@THENBASTORYTELLER Happy to be a fan, (fellow graying-beard here so I appreciate the sentiment)! yeah that ad campaign is so unhinged. It comes across as if a Chappelle script was directed/produced by the people behind Meow Wolf or Don't Hug Me I'm Scared -- just SUPER bizarre. And also I just can't put my finger on who it's for, exactly. It had to be our demographic, because of all the references to old stuff that you pointed out, but it's so obscure -- I think they must think that kids our age were really fascinated with the Leroy story, at a much higher level than what we actually were. At best it was an interesting thing to know about, but I might've even fast-forwarded through that part of the Come Fly With Me tape a few times, and they think it really was this huge teaching moment for all us kids watching that tape, and we somehow applied it to every aspect of our lives from that point on. If that HAD been the case, then I can kind of imagine a universe where we all HAD to get a pair of those shoes, and the whole ad hits us differently?
WHO WAS IT FOR??? EXACTLY!!! Who is it for...
it's scattered it's unfocused AND it has like at least 4 levels of reality it descends into .. its worse than Inception.
It feels like it might be mean-spirited, or at the least mildly insulting, but a bunch of purple analog kindness. There's barely any jokes, and the catchphrases make ZERO sense and aren't connected to anything
And then Leroy is even IN ONE, which is what signifies we've reached the bottom layer of the Inception
@@THENBASTORYTELLER 😂 the inception levels, good way to describe it. I wanna know who wrote this craziness, they need to answer some questions. Do you think it was Charlie Murphy and his team? Maybe even Eddie ghost-writing in there? Now that I said that, if you compare the weirdness of this campaign to some of the weirdness HE has done (the Michael Jackson collabs, the reggae thing, movies like Bowfinger and Norbit lol), he falls into the bottom layers quite often. This feels like a quiet Murphy Brothers production the more I think about it
@@THENBASTORYTELLER that's the thing... who is it for? well, it's not really for any of us, which is why it feels slightly off, slightly hollow... and we were right to doubt the entire thing from the jump.... super relieved of course to see in this amazing video more of the true nature of the relationships and narratives in question, but i'm brought back to the overarching point of this whole invention... which is, of course, that this Leroy Smith grudge was an invention, by michael, FOR MICHAEL. and then the corporate "they" attempted to expand the invention, by way of a commodified and sellable annexation of products, and it just felt like it wasn't grounded in anything that meant anything to us. so yeah, interesting brand of humor etc, and i would also love to get to the bottom of who was behind the ancillary campaigns and media projects that we ended up seeing... man, what a trip...
This is so good!
This is big
Got to love it when it is about basketball, two of the greatest to ever exist and the story behind it is fire 🔥 Subscribed!
love this documentary soooo much 😍
Great Job Emio!
thank you - it was a journey
Couple thoughts
1. This is incredible. Thank you and Harvest for the monumental effort here.
2. I'd rather have MJ's borderline psychopathic bullying over Karl Malone's gaslighting as a good guy at the HOF.
3. This entire MJ x Laney x Leroy x Fred Lynch saga now needs to be a Broadway Musical 😭😭😭😭
thank you for all of this - but #3 is going to sit with me... cause i think you're absolutely right
Incredible opportunity, super happy for you!
RBC!!!! it really was
My favorite UA-cam creator hands down. I really wish we could collab on my theory of LeBron and Warner Brothers buying the laker championship in the bubble so they could finally release space jam 2. Ik its fair fetched but ill die on that hill
If you have something i can read i'd let you know if I could help. - at the least I'd give you an honest opinion,
and thank you for watching
@THENBASTORYTELLER that's the sad part I have nothing concrete just speculation. The movie was supposedly ready for a full year before release. Even though it's incredibly invasion if anyone could access if LeBron made a big cash withdrawal before leaving for the bubble. If the commissioner or referees left with an extra carryon bag it's just a crazy conspiracy theory I thought of. Was LeBron Davis and Co more capable than MJ Jr (Jimmy butler) and Co. Yes. If anything I said Is proven fact does that discount his last ring. Yes. His legacy ugh dude had done a lot credit were credit is due. Just kinda crazy the lake show hasn't been anywhere near the finals since 🤷♂️
So, What did you think? What stuck with you? What do you think Mikes intentions were? How do you think Leroy handles the whole ordeal?
Im only 5 minutes in, but i want to say, im glad your back, making😅 movies. Best ball channel imo, and its been too long. I have watched everything you have put out and i assume this will be another banger, more fleshed out story of the Leroy mystery/conspiracy/ truth.Peace
Thank you so much for making this doc and bringing in Mr Harvest Smith himself.
My dad is in the inner circle of a veteran academy award winning global acting superstar. From the outside looking in, Mike would be living a similar existence of complete detachment from the reality the rest of us live in. Keeping Leroy alive for Mike would be about keeping Mike's feet on the ground, remembering a time when he was just another young dude growing up with utterly naive aspirations and world view. And what he made of himself from that start, sure, but mainly to keep his feet on the ground. Bringing Harvest to the induction night was a direct acknowledgement to Harvest and Mike's way of saying thank you for allowing him to use Leroy not simply as a myth but as a real, tangible, true link to Jordan when he was Mikey. Gotta remember that Mike has been a hugely public figure from a young age, so that link to the past is critical for him. Who knows what MJ lost over the years....and what he really, deep-down meant when he said he wished for his own children to have a totally different upbringing. Aspects of that public life are crippling.
Incredible story E, thank you so much for putting this out there and for showing us the incredible human that Harvest Smith has become.
How the hell did you get him to do this interview?
Im going to do a video all about that soon!
@@THENBASTORYTELLER goat things fr
Holy shit you just uploaded this recently and here thought I was about to rewatch the Leroy smith video from before. You are dope